Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – It seems that the phenomenon of global warming has begun to be felt in Southeast Asia. This can be seen from how the temperature has warmed in this region, with residents starting to be threatened due to extreme temperatures.
April and May are usually the hottest months of the year in Southeast Asia, as temperatures rise before the monsoon brings relief. But this year, they reached levels never seen before in most countries in the region, including Thailand and Vietnam.
Thailand saw its hottest day on record at 45.4 degrees Celsius. Laos hit 43.5 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days in May, and Vietnam’s all-time record was broken in early May with 44.2 degrees Celsius.
The “most brutal heatwave that never ends” that continues into June. On June 1, Vietnam broke the record for the hottest June day on record with 43.8 degrees Celsius,” according to an analysis of weather station data by climatologist and weather historian Maximiliano Herrera. CNN InternationalWednesday, (7/6/2023).
In a recent report from the World Weather Attribution (WWA), an international coalition of scientists said an April heatwave in Southeast Asia was a once-in-200-year event that would be ‘almost impossible’ without human-caused climate change.
This then began to affect health conditions. Humidity, on top of temperature extremes, makes it even more difficult for the body to try and cool off.
Heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion, have severe symptoms and can be life-threatening, especially for people with heart disease and kidney problems, diabetes, and those who are pregnant.
To give you an idea, in Thailand, 20 days in April and at least 10 days in May see temperatures that feel like they’re above 46 degrees Celsius. At this level, the thermal stress becomes extreme” and is considered life threatening to anyone including those accustomed to extreme humid heat.
“When the ambient humidity is very high, the body will continue to sweat trying to release moisture to cool itself, but because the sweat does not evaporate it will eventually cause severe dehydration, and in acute cases can cause heat stroke and death,” concluded the extreme weather expert at Imperial College London, Mariam Zachariah.
“That’s why humid heat waves are more dangerous than dry heat waves.”
Extreme weather events also trigger social inequality. Groups of people who do not have adequate access to health care and cooling systems, and those who work in extremely hot and humid conditions are most at risk from heat stress.
“It’s important to talk about who can adapt, who can cope and who has the resources to be able to do this,” said Emmanuel Raju, director of the Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research.
“For those working in the informal economy, a lost day means a lost day in wages.”
(luc/luc)
2023-06-07 14:20:00
#Alert #Signs #Doomsday
